The present invention relates to a yarn storage device, for the continuous intermediate storage in loose form of a yarn to be drawn off.
Such yarn storage devices are used for supplying yarn under a uniform tension to a yarn-processing machine, for example to a ball-winding machine. They are interposed between a feed machine, for example a steaming machine, and the yarn-processing machine in order to equalise the uneven run-off tension prevailing on the feed machine. The capacity of such a store can be, for example, 1 kg or 2,000 m of yarn. The stored yarn represents, at the same time, a reserve for when the feed machine temporarily no longer supplies any yarn.
In a known yarn storage device (German published Patent Application 28 47 291), a rotating lap flyer is arranged to loop yarn around a plurality of screw spindles and the yarn is then transferred to an intermediate store. The intermediate store is formed by substantially horizontally arranged rods which extend slightly conically to one another and on which the yarn is suspended in the form of loops. The yarn loops are then pushed forwards towards the free end of the rods, where the yarn can then be drawn off and supplied to a yarn-processing machine. It has been shown that, with this device, an uneven run-off tension occasionally arises which may be attributable to the fact that only parts of the yarn loops are guided by the rods. Near the drawing-off point, the yarn tends to "beat" between the rods and this also impairs the uniformity of the run-off tension.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a yarn storage device from which the yarn can be drawn off at a substantially constant tension at the free end of the intermediate store.